The Eighth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt

According to Manetho, the kings of this dynasty ruled from Memphis, and since their pyramids were built nearby at Saqqara, this seems plausible.

The entirety of the First Intermediate Period represents a particularly challenging historical epoch, spanning approximately 125 years. The few historical records are incomplete and scarce, which makes it challenging to draw definitive conclusions. Manethonian tradition divides the period into four dynasties ruling for 8101 or 4602 years, both clearly incorrect, with no mention of contemporary dynasties. This could of course have been lost in the transmission of Aegyptiaca, or could indicate corrupted or lost administrative records.

The Turin King List presents a direct succession of kings from the Sixth Dynasty, followed by seven kings, and then a summation of the preceding kings. Subsequently, there are 18 kings before the first Eleventh Dynasty king, resulting in a total of 25 kings.3 These 25 kings can be identified as belonging to the First Intermediate Period, which generally encompasses period between the Sixth and Eleventh dynasties. Notably, the Turin list can only be divided into two parts (or dynasties), which makes it challenging to reconcile the 25 kings with Manetho's records, which show more dynasties and more kings.

The central government at Memphis continued for some time after the long reign of Pepi II, but was severely weakened by the growing power of Heracleopolis just south. The 70 kings by Africanus could be a simple copying error for 7 kings for 70 years, which are plausible figures. However, it is stretching it to fit the evidence.

The chronological order

It is important to note that the chronological order of the pharaohs is an evolving subject and should therefore be treated with a certain degree of caution. As new research is conducted, the order may be subject to change, which is a fundamental principle that applies to all Egyptian dynasties.

The Eighth Dynasty according to Manetho

New Kingdom king lists

The Turin King List allows for the inclusion of 25 kings between the last king of the Sixth Dynasty and the first of the Eleventh Dynasty, and is divided into two parts by a summation following the seventh king. In contrast, the Abydos Canon provides 17. Attempts to reconcile the two are challenging.

Ex nihilo nihil fit

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